Photographs of his arrest show him being led from the Virgin Australia plane by heavily armed military police.

He was initially taken in for questioning by the military which has jurisdiction at the airport but was later handed over to Bali police who said they would interview him along with the plane’s cabin crew.

Heavily guarded ... Matt Lockley is taken into the airport after being arrested on arrival at Ngurah Rai airport.Source: AFP

Police revealed Lockley is the holder of a Queensland driver’s licence and had a licence to perform high-risk work and a plumbing industry council card, which were displayed during a press briefing.

Under Indonesian aviation law a person who commits an act to endanger flight safety and security faces two years in jail or one year for those who disturb a flight.

Bali Police Chief, Inspector Benny Mokalu, said no-one had been injured in the incident.

All passengers had left the plane and gone to the hotels and holidays.

Looking like a local ... Matt Lockley, who was held in an Indonesian police cell after a Virgin pilot set off a hijack alarm on the flight Matt was on to Bali. Picture: FacebookSource: Supplied

He said that after banging on the cockpit door, Lockley had been taken to the cabin crew area and was sitting there when heavily-armed police entered the plane at Ngurah Rai airport.

Insp Mokalu said that cabin crew had told police that Lockley appeared to be “paranoid” but it wasn’t clear why.

Col Sugiharto Prapto Waluyo, the commander of base operations at Ngurah Rai, said information was first received about 2pm local time when it was reported that the plane had been hijacked.

With friends ... Matt Lockley, who has been released from an Indonesian prison cell. Picture: FacebookSource: Supplied

Treating the information seriously, Bali police, military and airport officials immediate went into hijack mode. The airport was closed and personnel were deployed to handle a hijack drama.

“We received information about a hijacking at 2pm local time from the airport general manager and air traffic control Makassar. We then conduct the procedure, as the initial information is a hijack.

Refused to comment ... Matt Lockley is seen at a holding room in Bali, Indonesia, Friday, after allegedly trying to attempt to break into the pilots’ cockpit.Source: AP

“We didn’t know if there was something dangerous in the plane or not. Is there a bomb or what. When the plane landed we steered the plane to park in two seven runway because we can’t communicate with the pilot,” Col Waluyo said.

In dramatic scenes, police had positioned a vehicle in front of the plane after it stopped and armed officers raced to the scene.

“We implemented the hijack arrest procedure as we didn’t know if it’s a hijacker or not. Our team then caught him, handcuffed him and brought him from the plane.

The Virgin Australia flight 41 from Brisbane to Bali had 139 passengers on board including 137 adults, two children and six crew members

As the drama unfolded, air traffic control in Bali diverted seven incoming flights to Surabaya, in East Java, one to Lombok and five flights were delayed and stopped from taking off.

In happier times ... Matt Lockley, who was held in an Indonesian police cell after a Virgin pilot set off a hijack alarm on the flight Matt was on to Bali. Picture: FacebookSource: Supplied

Initial reports from Indonesian military and media that suggested the plane had been hijacked was quickly dismissed when it became apparent the would-be cockpit impostor was reportedly a drunken or drug-affected Australian passenger.

Lockley was alleged to have been banging on the cockpit door of the plane, causing the pilots to become worried about a hijack. This was later dismissed.

Virgin’s Bali manager Heru Sudjatmiko said it was a “miscommunication”.

“I repeat, this is just a miscommunication. How the miscommunication occurred, I cannot answer because I wasn’t there. But it’s not true to say that the plane was hijacked,” Mr Sudjatmiko told Idonesia’s Metro TV station.

“I don’t know exactly what happened when the pilot communicated with the air traffic controller at Ngurah Rai,” he said.

Escorted into questioning ... Matt Lockley is handcuffed and pushed by Indonesian Air Force soldiers into Ngurah Rai airport in Denpasar.Source: AFP

The Denpasar City Police chief Adj. Commissioner DjokoHariutomo told Kompas media that a drunk passenger tried to enter the cockpit of the Boeing B737-300 plane.

“We deployed a lot of personnel because we are informed that an aircraft was hijacked,” Djoko said.

Palani Mohan, a passenger on a Garuda flight that was about to take off from Bali, said they were told an alleged hijacking had taken place at first, which would delay their flight.

“I saw at least five vehicles including military-style trucks, filled with men in uniform, rushing towards the plane.

“Then the Virgin plane taxied away, followed by the convoy of security forces. The flight attendant said it’s been taken off to a different part of the airport.

“Bali airport seems to be in lockdown, we’ve been told no planes will be departing or arriving. The pilot’s not allowing anyone off our plane.”

A Virgin Australia spokesman said one other flight was affected en route from Sydney to Denpasar, and was diverted to Darwin Airport.

It was a decision made by the Indonesian authorities to shut Denpasar Airport, leaving multiple flights in the lurch.

“It depends on crew hours, but it is most likely that the plane will be refuelled tonight and then continue on to its destination,” the spokesman said.

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